

Medical plans fall in to three general types. Basically, you trade off cost for flexibility. Inexpensive plans restrict your access to medical services and plans where you control your care are more expensive. What works for you depends on your personal situation, and how well you can advocate for yourself.
The least expensive, and therefore least flexible, plans are called Health Maintenance Organizations, or HMOs. This insurance connects you to a pre-defined set of doctors, specialists and hospitals. You choose one doctor who is your gateway to all medical services, called your primary care physician. This doctor sees you when you are sick and refers you to specialists within the HMO group if needed. Everything you need is provided by this group. If you don't go outside this group, the medical coverage is pretty inexpensive (relatively speaking of course) but if you want to see a doctor outside the group or don't want to wait for a referral from your primary care physician things get expensive fast.
The most expensive and most flexible plans are called Preferred Provider Organizations, or PPOs. With these plans you have total choice over which doctor, specialist or hospital provides your services. The PPO maintains contractual agreements with some doctors, specialists and hospitals. If you use these contracted services your portion of the cost for service is less than if you go "out of network" and select someone who does not contract with your insurer. In any case you pay a deductible and a co-payment whenever you receive services, but you don't need referrals and can pretty much see anyone you want. The monthly premium is much higher than with an HMO plan, but many people prefer to be the master of their own destiny, health wise.
One middle ground that is gaining popularity is the third option, called a Point of Service, or POS plan. This is a blend of HMO and PPO features. You must select a primary care physician, who manages your access to health services, but you retain the ability to go out of network (at a significantly higher cost to you). This makes sense for people who are happy with HMO services but have one favorite specialist who is not in their HMO plan.
Selecting between these three categories of health plans can be confusing. Think about your upcoming year. Do you anticipate any hospitalization or major medical treatments? If so, an HMO plan might save you a lot of money. Using HMOs does but the burden on you to advocate for yourself. The HMO obviously makes more money if you don't get a lot of medical attention. That means that you may need to press them to get access to specialists or expensive treatments and medications. If you are healthy and comfortable looking out for your best interests, an HMO is a great deal.
No matter which plan you choose, remember that the ultimate responsibility for getting good medical care rests with you. Get second opinions before undertaking medical procedures. Ask about alternatives and do some research on your own before accepting treatment plans. Your interests don't exactly match the interests of your provider.

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